Faithful is He that Calleth You

[23] Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 ESV)

My friend Jon Cardwell put me on the list to receive a pre-publication copy of his new book Christ and Him Crucified. I received it on Friday from the publisher. Some of you may know, but some may not, that Jon suffers many of the symptoms of ALS, which is often called Lou Gehrig’s Disease. His symptoms started when he was serving as Pastor in Scammon Bay, Alaska. Because of the severity of the onset and the need to have a proper diagnosis, he had to leave the flock he loved. He is now serving as a Pastor of a church in Alabama. When I think of my friend Jon, I am reminded of a sermon I heard from Steve Lawson at the 2010 Shepherd’s Conference in which he exegeted Job Chapter 1. The message was titled “The Invisible War.” In this message, Dr. Lawson shows that God uses adversity in the lives of his people to make them broken vessels, who humbly walk with a limp before him, dependent upon him, not in love with this world, but wholly dependent upon him for everything.

In the Prelude to Jon’s book, on pages 2 and 3, he shares an encounter with some people from Alaska who have come to visit him in Alabama. They want him to to come back. They asked if they could pray for him to be healed of his ALS symptoms. Here is his reply.

“Dear sister.” I smiled at her, then to Felix and Gemma, then back to her, “I appreciate your coming to pray for me; and I believe that all healing is from the Lord so if God chooses to heal me, then so be it. Moreover, I’m so thankful to God that you all would want me to come back to Scammon Bay. Scammon Bay is more our home than anywhere else on the planet. Yet, I want you to understand that if this disease means that I will die soon, I’m not just ready for it, I’m looking forward to it; because if I die it means, just as I’ve been teaching the congregation here, that I will soon be in the presence of Jesus and there is absolutely nothing better. I will behold His face and I will not look to the left or to the right; and as much as I love you, I will not be thinking of you. My every thought will be for Him and toward Him.”

After I read that the first time, I took the book to where my wife was and read that paragraph to her through tears. She only nodded. She understood too. In our study over the last several weeks (or is it months?) haven’t we seen that the mark of true Christianity is that we love one another? Also, we are not in love with this world or the things of this world, but we have taken up our crosses and are following our Lord. We are walking not in arrogance, but in humility always ready to give an account of the hope that is within us.

Our Lord is faithful, therefore, we are called to a level of faithfulness that the world does not understand. Just read Foxes Book of Martyrs and how so many Christians were mercilessly killed for refusing to deny their Saviour. A careful reading of the Book of Revelation shows that that time may be coming upon the Church again. In any case, the following is from Spurgeon’s Morning by Morning devotional for December 11th. Enjoy and be blessed.

“Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.”-1 Thessalonians 5:24

Heaven is a place where we shall never sin; where we shall cease our constant watch against an indefatigable enemy, because there will be no tempter to ensnare our feet. There the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest. Heaven is the “undefiled inheritance”; it is the land of perfect holiness, and therefore of complete security. But do not the saints even on earth sometimes taste the joys of blissful security? The doctrine of God’s word is, that all who are in union with the Lamb are safe; that all the righteous shall hold on their way; that those who have committed their souls to the keeping of Christ shall find Him a faithful and immutable preserver. Sustained by such a doctrine we can enjoy security even on earth; not that high and glorious security which renders us free from every slip, but that holy security which arises from the sure promise of Jesus that none who believe in Him shall ever perish, but shall be with Him where He is. Believer, let us often reflect with joy on the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, and honour the faithfulness of our God by a holy confidence in Him.

May our God bring home to you a sense of your safety in Christ Jesus! May He assure you that your name is graven on His hand; and whisper in your ear the promise, “Fear not, I am with thee.” Look upon Him, the great Surety of the covenant, as faithful and true, and, therefore, bound and engaged to present you, the weakest of the family, with all the chosen race, before the throne of God; and in such a sweet contemplation you will drink the juice of the spiced wine of the Lord’s pomegranate, and taste the dainty fruits of Paradise. You will have an antepast of the enjoyments which ravish the souls of the perfect saints above, if you can believe with unstaggering faith that “faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.”

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8 thoughts on “Faithful is He that Calleth You”

Many thanks for this, Mike. ‘Tis sweet to have a peek into the life of one touched by God in such a way – as was Spurgeon, as well. We do have things so easy in this country; may God have mercy on us and break us from our love for stuff of this present age and turn our affections to Christ Jesus.

I cannot stop pondering the scene in Revelation 6, where those martyred for Christ are told to sit and rest while the requisite number of their brothers are likewise murdered. We hold too tightly to this world, being made for the one to come. By the grace of God in Christ may we walk in the light as dear children of the Living Lord, for the glory of His name and the good of His people.

I have had the undeserved blessing of attending two of Pastor Cardwell’s conferences and can tell you that he is as much a godly saint in “person” as he is in “pen”. Pastor Cardwell is one of the finest men I have ever met, and his wife is just as delightful. He is so humble, kind, gentle and joyful that you can’t help but think “That is what a Christian should look like.”

This is not much ado about Pastor Cardwell, but much about what our Savior does in the lives of His beloved when they Love His Word and are faithful to live out what it says.

In deep gratitude of faithful shepherds, charisse
P.S. read the pdf version of “Christ and Him Crucified”, definate must have for anyone who loves the Lord.

Excellent article Mike and thanks for sharing what a true man of God looks like.

“In this message, Dr. Lawson shows that God uses adversity in the lives of his people to make them broken vessels, who humbly walk with a limp before him, dependent upon him, not in love with this world, but wholly dependent upon him for everything.”

I couldn’t agree MORE!! To break me and limp my walk is just like Jacob when he was touched in the socket of his hip. He leaned on his staff-Heb.11:21. Jesus becomes our comfort as never could be if we didn’t welcome the knock on our door of the most unwelcome adversity? O”Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me all the days of my life” we’d never learn humility, faithfulness and gentleness if God didn’t orchestrate in our lives the most unwelcome knock of adversity at our door. We try so hard to keep it from coming in. God in all his wisdom wants us to depend totally on Jesus. We gain Christ

Just let go of struggling with the Lord and learn of the all sufficiency of Jesus Christ –Job 36:19 “Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?”

Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. (Colossians 1:24-26 ESV)

The way of escape

"To believe that He will preserve us is, indeed, a means of preservation. God will certainly preserve us, and make a way of escape for us out of the temptation, should we fall. We are to pray for what God has already promised. Our requests are to be regulated by His promises and commands. Faith embraces the promises and so finds relief." - John Owen

How to be free from bondage to our flesh and temptation

"If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: 'God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways so that I will not be entangled.' When this is true in our lives, a passing temptation will not overcome us. We will remain free while others lie in bondage." - John Owen

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About me

My name is Mike Ratliff. I am a δοῦλος (slave) of the Κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν (Lord Jesus Christ.) I have been a Bible teacher since the late 1980's. I am currently learning Koine Greek, which I began in 1992 and will continue to do so until the Lord takes me home. I am Reformed in my theology because I recognize that God is Sovereign over all things. I write these posts as God directs. I am also part of the discernment team at Christian Research Network.

OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT

by G. D. Watson

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.

God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.